Hampshire have made a bid to bring back Shane Warne for next season's Twenty20 tournament.

The 40-year-old, who captained the county between 2004 and 2007 and who now captains the Indian Premier League's Rajasthan Royals, could boost gate receipts for next season's tournament and possibly secure qualification for the lucrative Champions League.

"Warne is the biggest name we've ever had at the club and, yes, we have spoken to him," Hampshire's chairman, Rod Bransgrove, told the Daily Mail. "You can never rule out getting Shane Warne back to Hampshire."

From next season every Twenty20 squad will be allowed to have four overseas players with Hampshire having already secured the services of the Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis.